Smoke-preventing furnace.



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A. W. PUDD'INGTON.

SMOKE PREVENTING PURN'AGE.

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No. 864,193 PATENTED AUG. 27, 1907.

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APPLICATION FILED FEB. 1, 1906.

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APPLICATION FILED FEB. 1. 1900.

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ARTHUR W. PUDDINGTON, OF CLEVELAND, OHIO, ASSIGNOR TO ROBERT RENNIE, OF

` TORONTO, CANADA.

SMOKE-PREVENTING FURNACE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 27, 1907.

Original application filed August 26, 1905, Serial No. 275,858. Divided and this application led February 1. 1906.

Serial No.

To all whom 'it may conc-em:

Be it known that I, ARTHUR W. PUDDINGTON, a citizen of the United States, residing at Cleveland, in the county of Cuyahoga and State of Ohio, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Smoke-Preventing Furnaces, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings. i

This invention relates to a system of equipping steam boiler furnaces with means for preventing smoke and economizing fuel. The system is simple and very efhcient, automatically supplying the proper quantity of combustible gas intermingled with hot air whenever cold fuel is thrown on the fire,this fuel being immediately ignited by the burning gas on its upper side, whereby the escape of unconsumed carbon up the chimney is avoided, and chilling of the furnace prevented.

The mechanism which enables the automatic conjoint regulation of the injected gas and hot air is hereinafter more fully described and its essential characteristics set out in the claims.

In the drawings, Figure l is a. side elevation of a steam boiler and furnace having my invention em bodied therein-the view being partly broken away to show the interior. Fig. 2 is a front elevation of the same. Fig. 3 is a substantially vertical section through the smoke space and entrance openings to the fire box, but following the course of the air flues as indicated by the line 3-3 of Fig. l. Fig. 4 is a horizontal section through the furnace just below the boiler.

Referring to the embodiment of my invention illustrated in the drawings, A represents the boiler, which as shown isof the return tube type. The furnace has the usual side and rear walls B and has a cast iron front G which provides a smoke space D in front of the boiler and leading to the stack, not shown. The front has fire doors c and ash doors c2. The furnace has a grate E, shown as resting at its ends on the dead plate F and bridge wall B4. Above the grate is the fire box Df, while below it is the ash pit D2. This much of the construction is of usual form.

The entrance openings tothe furnace behind the fire doors are each sul-mounted by a pair of separated arches B and B2 resting on skew backs in the walls B and on the central pier B5. These arches leave between them a long open space b, establishing communication between the charge openings and an air chamber above the arches. At its front, this air chamber is closed by the cast iron front C, while the top of the air chamber isclosed by a suitable plate and a surmounting layer of bricks H. This chamber, as

stated, connects with the entrance openings. It also connects through flues b2 in the furnace walls with the ash pit. Through the wall B3 carried by the arch B2 are formed openings b. These openings are occupied by the nipples p which inject hydrocarbon as hereinafter explained, the arch B2 extending forward beneath the nipples to protect them. The operation of the ilues and openings, as described, allows hot air to pass upward fromthe ash pit through the flues b2 to the air chamber and discharge downward between the arches and rearward over the fire as well as rearward through the openings b.

Located at some suitable point is a tank .l adapted to contain petroleum or other hydrocarbon and connected at its lower portion by a pipe K with the boiler. A pipe K leads from the upper portion of this tank to the lower end of a sight feed device L. From the upper end of this device a pipe K2 leads to the pipe K3. Joining this pipe K3 is a pipe K4 which leads from the steam space of the boiler. Between the sight feed and the pipe K is a valve 'n connected with a plunger in the cylinder N. This cylinder is connected by a pipe c5 with the pipe K3. A spring n tends to hold the valve n closed while the pressure on the piston from the pipe K3 tends to open it. K5 represents a drain pipe leading from the pipe K, but normally closed.

Leading from the lower end of the pipe K3 is a pipe P, which is embedded in one of the walls B of the furnace and forms a retort alongside of the fire box, being coiled back and forth on itself as shown at P. Leading from this coil a pipe extends crosswise asat PZwithin the course of bricks H above the air chamber, and extending downward from this pipe P2 are a number of branch pipes P3 terminating in nipples p which freely occupy the discharge openings b in the wall B3, and point rearward and downward toward the fire box.

The operation of the system of piping just described, when the steam is admitted from the boiler to the pipe K4, is that the back pressure of the fluid in the pipe P acting against the piston in the cylinder N opens the valve n, admitting oil to the pipe K3, and oil and steam pass together through this pipe and through the retort P where the same are heated sufficiently to decompose the steam, making carbon monoxid and hydrogen, which ils discharged through the nipples p onto the fire. The force of this discharge draws air through the openings b/ around the nipples. The result is that hot air and a highly combustible gas is discharged on top of the fire. This discharge is caused to take place automatically, whenever fresh fuel is added to the nre, by mechanism which is the subject of the present invention. The above described new features of furnace ioo construction are shown and claimed in my application No. 275,853, filed August .26, 1905, of which application this is a division.

To cause the injection of the combustible gas to be automatic, I provide the following mechanism; In the steam pipe K4 is a throttle valve Q, which is shown as connectedby a chain q with the upper end of arrod r connected to a piston in a dash pot R. Leading to the cylinder of this dash pot is a pipe S connected with wa- Y ter under pressure7 as, for example, with the city water main. In this pipe S is a valve S arranged to be opened and closed by substantially a half rotation of its stem. This stem S2 extends upward as the hir-igepintle of the fire door c, being journaled in the stationary ears of the fire door hinge and rigidly connected with the ears which are rigid with the iire door. When the fire door is closed, this valve S is closed, but when the Ere door is opened to admit fuel, the valve is thereby automatically opened. This admits water under pressure to the hydraulic dash pot R,-the piston of which moving under the force of the Water, opens the throttle valve Q in the pipe K4, whereupon, as stated, steam and hydrocarbon are forced through the retort and the resulting water-gas is discharged onto the fire.

To insure complete combustion it is essential that whenever the fire doors are opened and fresh fuel added, a proper quantity of air be supplied to the fuel with the combustible gas; while to prevent chilling of the furnace it is necessary that this air be hot and not of excessive quantity. I regulate this hot air by providing dampers T which control the iiues b2. These dampers are rigidly carried by rock shafts T T2, which extend lengthwise of the furnace and have rock arms t connected by a link T3. On the forward end of the rock shaft T is a weighted lever T4 connected by a chain T5 with the lower end of the rod r in the dash pot. The same operation of the dash pot therefore which causes the injection of the water gas opens the air flues so that a sufficiently large quantity of heated air is discharged with the water-gas through the openings b and downward and rearward through the opening between the arches B and B2.

Extending from the dash pot R is a drip pipe 1" having a valve r2. After the fire door is closed, the action of the injected water-gas and air continues until the dash Apot plunger is returned to its normal position,-this return being accomplished by the gradual escape of the water from the dash pot cylinder through the pipe T. The time of this escape is regulated by the valve r2, so that the injection of air and water-gas may continue, after each firing, for just the length of time necessary to consume those volatile constituents of the fuel which ordinarily cause smoke. This period of time will vary considerably with different fuels,-a usual period being from two to four minutes.

.Adjustable collars r3 on the rod r of the hydraulic dash pot may furnish convenient means for limiting the amount of opening of the tlnottle valve and. the air dampers. The dash pot rod is shown as having a downward tendency by the weight on the arm T4. When the rod is in its lowermost position, by reason of this weight, the dampers are closed, and by reason of the chain q, the throttle valve Q is held in its upper position,-which is its closed position. When the dash pot rod rises, a Weight q on the throttle valve Q may open the latter. This arrangement of chains and weights is simply illustrative and will vary with particular installations. Springs may be substituted for the weights and links for the chains.

It will be seen from the above description that the opera-tion of injecting the combustible gas and hot air is entirely automatic and takes place at the right time and for the right length of time. Moreover, both the opening of the throttle and the air chambers is performed without extra labor on the part of the fireman, the water pressure performing the actual work.

The regulation of the flow of hydrocarbon is controlled by the back pressure of the steam and the combustible gases forming in the retort with the result that just the right amount of oil is continually supplied to form such gas. A decrease of steam reduces the gas pressure and this operates to allow the spring n to close the valve n sufficiently to reduce the oil supply. The supply of oil therefore regulates itself automatically.

When it is desired to draw the fire and therefore` allow the fire doors to be opened without injectingthe water-gas and air, it is simply necessary to close the hand valve S3 in the water pipe S. This renders the operation of the valve S idle and prevents the operation of the dash pot and its consequent action. But one valve S connected with one fire door, is necessary. The drawing however shows two valves S in parallel portions of the pipe S and each operated by the corresponding door, and thus an ignorant reman could not cause smoke by firing through one door only. The same result could be accomplished by a mechanism coupling the doors so that when either is opened, the other is likewise opened.

I claim:

1. In a furnace the combination with the grate and the entrance opening thereto, of a fire door for said entrance opening, an air chamber over the entrance opening and having a passageway communicating therewith, means for supplying combustible gas to the fuel on the grate, means for conjointly controlling the supply of air to the `air chamber and said gas supply, the operation of said last mentioned means being initiated by the opening of the fire door but performed by other power and continuing for a period after the closing of the fire door.

2. The combination with a furnace of a retort adapted to he heated thereby, means for supplying steam and oil vapor' to said retort, means for conducting combustible gas from said retort to the furnace, a fire door means initiated by the fire door for starting the injection of such gas, said last lmentioned means being operated by independent power, means operated at a definite period after the closing of the 're door for stopping the injection of the gas, and means whereby the back pressure of one of the fluids supplied to the retort regulates the flow of the other of such uids.

3. In a furnace the combination with the grate and the entrance opening thereto, of a fire door for said entrance opening an air chamber over the entrance opening, a passageway from the ash pit to said air chamber, a damper in the ash pit for such passageway, means for supplying steam and oil vapor the flow of the steam controlling the dow of the oil, means for conducting the combustible gas thus formed to the furnace, a valve in the steam supply pipe, conjoint means for opening said valve and said damper, the operation of said last mentioned means being initiated by the opening of the fire door but performed by other power and continuing for a period after the closing of the fire door.

4. In furnace regulation, the combination of means for supplying air to the combustion chamber means supplying oil and another fluid and allowing them to associate, the back pressure of one of each uids regulating the flow of the other, and automatic means for regulating the injection of the resulting fluid and the necessary air.

5. In furnace regulation, the combination of means for supplying air to the combustion chamber means for sup plying oil and another fluid and allowing them to associate, the back pressure of one of such fluids regulating the flow of the other, a retort through which the uids How, and automatic means initiated by the opening of 10 the re door for regulating the injection of the resulting uid and the necessary air.

In testimony whereof, I hereunto ax my signature in the presence of two Witnesses.

ARTHUR W. PUDDINGTON. Witnesses:

ALBERT H. BATES, H. P. OSULLIVAN, 

